What models would you offer?

Bluedreaux's ARs....
They'd all have Magpul enhanced trigger guards - Properly ported barrels - Properly tested, springed and staked BCGs, Springco buffer springs and H2 buffers, Magpul MOE-K grips

Trigger options would include a CMC 3.5 / 4.5 single stage or G2S or SSA-E two stage.

I'd make 1" Battlecomp brakes an option as well as Streamlight TLR1s and Wyoming Arms Fenix lights.

Model 1
16" mid-length CL barrel
Fixed front sight post
Fixed rear sight
Magpul handguard - B5 stock

Model 2
16" mid-length CL barrel
15" free float tube rail
Fixed sights or Magpul folding sights
B5 stock

Model 3
17" rifle gas SS barrel
Adjustable gas block
VLTOR A5
15" free floating rail
SF or Lantac brake

Flattop 1-8 or 7 twist skinny 20-in. No fwd asst. A1 stock. Skinniest carbon fiber rifle forearm available. Geissele trigger. .223AI chamber. Want it to weigh abt 6.5 w Leupold 6x42 LRD M1 on top.

Killed a PD at 500+ yds few years back w sumpin quite similar a friend built.

And a 10.5-in. Modern version of the AF survival rifle w flattop &2.5 x Leupold on it. Lookin for weight around 5 elbows.

Fixin to put together
something similar for a mall rifle that'll fit in a racquet bag before the next holiday season.

I would insist on good barrels, reliability, and accuracy.

after that point, whatever styling exercises were deemed fashionable, or the best combination of good, and cheap.

I would concentrate on offering different barrel contours. specifically a lighter 18 and 20" models. BUT I would not do it with pencil barrels. I would stick with 750 gas blocks and focus on turning down the area behind the gas block and under the handguard. have just enough shoulder to hold the gas block then turn down the rest. I would also use midwest gen 2 ss rails or make a knockoff of it.

I'm wanting one with a midwest gen 2 ss rail too. But I'd like a 16" 7 or 8 twist lighter weight barrel and a magpul ctr stock. Thinking about a BHW M4 poly 3groove barrel.

Just looking for light weight with decent accuracy.

Bb

I think you pretty much nailed it. I put good triggers at the top of the list.
I have a Geissle SSA trigger and am not overly impressed with it. I like my home modded Core15 better. Lighter pull with less take up. The Core15 trigger is really good right out of the LPK.

Pretty much this except for Model 3. I'd go 18" rifle gas just to accomo. Any particular reason you went with 17?

I'll amend my list and make #3 18" with a LP gas block.

#4 will have a 17" barrel-adjustable gas and a LMOS with either brake.

#4 is what I'd like to build next.

I know less than fugg all about AR's, but every now and then I almost convince my self I need one.

Now is one of those times!

I want a simple, round forearm, 18-20 light to mid weight barrel twisted 8, and a decent single stage trigger. No sights or handle on the top. Don't care about the stock.

Basically a light weight 18-20" bbl'd gun set up for a scope with out a bunch of mall ninja chit on it.

that was what I advocated. there isn't a ton of options out there for lightweight 20" setups and I don't want a pencil barrel. just an hbar with alot more meat turned off under the handguard. I think I am going to get a criterion hybrid barrel next time, but even that has quite a bit more metal turned off than what I actually would want. I want just enough shoulder to mount the gas block then a simple straight contour back to the barrel shank.

I don't know that I could be a company, as my uses and thoughts are generally weird compared to what all the books show and what folks, want, vs actually need.

Of course I always tend to build to my uses, and granted my uses are not those of others.

18 inch barrel would be the least though.... and frankly you don't gain that much with tubes over 20 or maybe 22.

IF I had to have something shorter it would be a SBR instead of just going 16

I always liked the 20 inch SP1 type guns, back in the day when we did not have all the fancy scopes, red dots, flashlights we do now they seemed to work just fine. I blew up a lot of jackrabbits in the hills around Sun Valley NV just fine for me. An 18 inch gun would be great, don't know why everyone settled on the 16.

Actually now that I thought about this thread, I'd start a smithing business, not a "company" and would build each person what they wanted, well within reason probably, and be totally custom as thats the way I think it should be mostly.

There are plenty of those already and very few successful ones. Most people still want to spend as little as possible and if they have the money to burn, they are probably going to go with one of the big names. Most of the "custom" AR builders I have seen use cheapo parts to make the guns look upgraded yet keep the price down. I would not want my name on many of the "custom" guns I see.

I like your choices Bluedreaux. If I were starting an AR company, there would be no carbine barrels in my inventory. I do like the mid length 16's as I can see you do as well. kwg

CB, I don't have a clue of any custom folks using cheap parts, but then again my demands are pretty high.

And if I started building them, then I"d have a large client base of competitive shooters to start with that will pay for the good parts, but don't like paying extra on top of that for names.

Of course I"m talking smith part of it you are probably talking parts monkeys mostly.

Building guns would not be done for teh cheap market, want cheap there is NO reason not to build your own from teh cheapest parts you can get, and you don't have excise tax to deal with either technically.

Rost,
I guess it depends on how you define custom. If you base your shop around competitive rifles and accuracy, clearly you wont be using cheap "tactical" parts, probably mostly barrel work. On the other hand, there are "custom shops" that just slap together cheap parts and tell you how good of a deal you are getting.

those monkeys putting parts together and calling themselves smiths just don't cut it for me.

That even includes some BIG names.

One of which uses barrels that are cheap enough that they test each one, but reject up to 30ish percent... and you ARE paying for a NAME that does NOTHING really IMHO.

But its not for me to say.

Parts assemblers are not smiths.

We were shooting some drills today and I offered for guys to shoot my 16" mid-length back to back with their carbines. The constant response was "So that's what it's supposed to feel like!".

16" Mid-Length
Rifle buffer (A5H3)
15" rail
It has a 1" Battlecomp, but in my experience it didn't have any impact on this drill over a standard A2 FH.

I ended up having to just leave it with the group and get it back from them later. My "properly built AR disciples" keep growing in number.

16 inch with a comp on the end would be same as an 18, more or less. But less jump by far.

You are long tube gassing them? Gotta be smoother etc... as you well know, I know 20 inch guns and gas systems, the rest I do not know...

BTW, side note, bought a bolt in 300 whisper, and still will buy that gas block you noted for my AR in 300 whsiper, its just on the back burner now till the bolt gun is finished and I get back from annual fall AK hunt and see how much I have left... AT least now I"ll be gassing the AR to function, not to not function.

We got to win them over one 16" mid length at a time.

kwg

I'm not sure I'm following you Jeff. We're probably thinking the same thing, just different terminology. What do you mean "long tube"?

And "properly built" mids too. This one started life as a mid-length and is now a completely different rifle than it was when I took it out of the box.

Is there really anything that hasn't been done with an AR? They're like a big boy's Lego set. If I were to start an AR company it wouldn't be to make the same thing that 20 other companies are making with a different widget on it! Someone really needs to update the AR platform into something different. Design an AR for the 308 class of cartridge that is on a smaller frame than the AR10 and you would have something.

dmps gen 2, but skip the dual ejectors. as long as my brass exits the gun thats all I need I don't need to fling brass 50 feet.

Calling parts of the gun that make it run correctly and make it easier to hit with "widgets" highlights the problem with ARs today. There's a huge amount of misinformation and misconception about what makes them work.

I cringe when I hear folks call them Legos.

There are folks who get it and some that refuse to get it.

How about Erector Set? LOL!

I would make sure I could get barrels first before even getting a business licensee.
lots of new businesses in the last 4-6 years, not lots of new barrel makers.
I

I'd like to see a shift in another direction. The Mall Ninja Crowd is well covered,with many Makers.

I'd like to see a '15 based platform with a modest redesign,that would facillitate greater COAL. 2.500" would be a breeze and it would be far from daunting to incorporate a system,in which Mall Ninjas could fall back on burping Steel Woof.

Everything else is readily available,but noone thinks bullets................

I'm not familiar with the 7.62x39 lower. Would it not be slightly longer/larger? I agree, a lower with slightly more length would add a new dimension to the platform. kwg

Olympic builds a longer 15 and chambers it in 22-250, if you can stomach oly.

Same/same.............

Had them on the horn after inception and while the premise was sound,they dropped the ball in COAL latitude...despite designing a proprietary mag.

It's max COAL places 75A-Max ogives wellllll below the case mouth and for only 100 clams a pop.................(hint)

A custom lower with proprietary mags for more COAL in a .223 based cartridge would sell < 500 units. Worldwide. Ever.

Lots of guys will talk about how great an idea it is and how they'll "definitely get one" and when they hit the market those same people will look at their stack of $8 PMags and their bolt gun that's already set up for proper COAL and never actually buy the new wonder-lower.

BS can proclaim the world full of idiots who won't take a hint, but that won't change the fact that a proprietary lower just wouldn't sell.

A Texan with a Tom Cruise avatar,fretting Reality.

Oh my...you've really got your ear in tune.....................

How long was the OAL allowed with the old VLD mags?

I can't recall and it was a step in a very right direction.

Would be no thing to massage a magwell and magazines,to yield 2.500" and then Window Lickers could still lick windows.

It's the single biggest hurdle in the AR-titude,as projectile selection has wayyyyyyy over stepped it's MilSpec confines................

I agree, it's all the AR needs that I can see.

Magpul is clearly missing the boat here, somebody needs to start making them again.

I don't know who Tom Cruise is or what having my picture as an avatar has to do with anything.

In fairness,what you don't know,is nearly as funny as what you think you know.

Just sayin'.................(hint)

S/S for the win,as it can use thinner stock,to eek more COAL...less failure.

Prolly why S/S Stoners tend to be my favorite for Utility................

Interesting, I've shy'd away from Stoner but may give the mag a look.

You'll wanna look CLOSELY....................(hint)

Wow, an AR expert too evidently

Longer rounds in the AR mag would work for some folks, but as noted sales would be very low. Not enough to make it work.

If the numbers worked, it would have been done by now.

"Luckily" for you and your "knowledge"..."if" is "enough".

Laughing!..............

I take it they gain from the back of the mag?

I get it and would buy something that could feed longer COAL 22 cal cartridges for a 1-7 or 1-8 twisted barrel, this makes more sense than a different caliber to me anyway.

Gains come both fore and aft,due wall thickness reductions...........

It's funny how noone REALLY gets it and does it right. Gassers are often spun right,but wayyyyyyyyyyy shy in COAL latitude,yet lotsa 308 lengthed bolt gun's wear 14" twist rates.

Bullets matter much more than headstamps..............

I guess it's just the picture but the middle Stoner mag (bottom pic) looks shorter up front than the Colt or Magpul.

How much do you gain with the Stoner?

If it's not enough to get the case mouth to hold a 75 Amax, I don't think it'd be a gain. Even though some here run them (75Amax) as is, I don't care to take the chance.

You are looking at a portion of the Stoner's follower.

Magpul's go 2.255" on the average...Stoner's go 2.310" on the average.

Noone loves A-Max more than I,but I don't drive with ogives below case mouths............

2.375ish would be a nice move.

2.5" would do it all and be a breeze to arrange...............

105 amax @2810 fps via H4895 or re-15
Stoner SS. 100% reliable 2.29" 15 off
hint

105 Hornie HPBT's,kissin' square,Liljee 3-grooved 1-8" 243Win at 2900+. Mags is moot,as it'll even kiss in P-Mags.(hint)




Good talk...............(grin)

But mine's a 15 (grin)
brux 1/8 Hornady 105 BTM will kiss as will 108 bergers

Ohhhhhhh...I'm fairly certrain that "2.29" more than pinpointed that.

I went the other route in mention of the '10 for logistictitude.

Pass me the 2.5" COAL '15 and get outta the way!.............(grin)

What is a Stoner SS exactly? Got a link or description?

Stainless Steel Stoner magazines.

They're everywhere...............

I like the 10-rounders as a default,but have 20's too.

S/S Stoner Link...............

all this technical expertise is making my head spin. i also noticed i get chills up my spine when i say 'ogive' real fast 3 times. and what's wrong with being a mall ninja... whatever that is???

You can only do,what you can do.

Congratulations?!?................

Never handled a 10 that was in the same realm as a 15 properly set up... in terms handling or ergos

10s are kind of the coopers of gas guns (grin..

I couldn't liken a '10 to being a Utility Rifle,though they'll Niche.

As a lay down and put some mustard on sumptin' in another zip code ala self-shucker...they'll do nice things................

Thanks!

They were under 10 clams a pop,not long ago and I went to re-hoarding..............(grin)

I used to take whatever I could get on longer OAL on mags... and then found it really doesn't make much difference if the chamber is right.

I could get excited, over some serious gain. But not over a slight amount as noted here. Just isn't enough to worry about really IMHO.

At least not in 223

Wow!

Only a drooling Texan would fawn single-shootin' an AR.

Laughing!.................

I would build AKs.

Add a better sight.

Polymer furniture.

Market for home defense.

Sell at $599 price point.

BMT